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D. Gray-man thoughts and observations
I started reading DGM years ago, then gave up for a while. I was impatient! I liked the series, but not enough to stalk it every week for the fifteen page update. Recently Drace pressured me into starting it up again, and gave me giant zip files, and I'm currently at chapter 96 (Kanda's fight with the Noah, Skin somethingorother). Tonight I will attempt to cruise to 128, during which time, I am told, the series goes from "awesome to EPIC".
In the meantime, I have thoughts.
Allen: He's awesome. He's tiny, he's cute, he's sweet, and he's evil. Just kind of evil! The life he's led would turn anyone's hair white, but he came out of it with only a marked, harmless sort of sadism. XD (Okay, and white hair.) He looooves his cheating, and he doesn't turn a hair at hookers, drugs, gambling, etc. I want to ruffle his hair and cuddle him all the time. He can stay.
Also, P.S. to the fandom -- not a blushing virgin. Probably not a virgin. (He lived with Cross.) Definitely not blushing. (He lived with Cross.)
Lenalee: I liked her at the beginning, and I like her for bits and pieces during the actual course of the manga -- say, when she's fighting Esti, or when she's being stubborn at Kanda, or anything involving Komui. But, Lenalee, honey, stop crying. Please. She spent a giant chunk of manga crying about everything. I am forced to separate out "the Lenalee who does these other things" and "the Lenalee who cries all the time" because that last part would lessen the rest of her totally valid cool.
Also, please don't be the Heart, that would be so boring.
Lavi: He can definitely stay. Upbeat, easy-going, friendly, and aboy jerk. I like that so far I've seen bits of conflict in him: that as a Bookman, he is just supposed to observe, but that as a naturally outgoing person, he's gotten so tangled up in Allen and Lenalee...
Kanda: Ugh, so far I really don't care about him. I know the fandom would probably lynch me, but he's pretty boring -- also pretty but boring. He's just the stoic I-hate-everyone independent type who is awesome because his type always are. He's not actively unlikable, but he doesn't interest me at all.
Miranda: I... I love you! Stay forever. "But Miranda won't be able to sleep while she's--" "Oh, don't worry, I don't need that much sleep. Why, once when I was fired from a job, I stayed up for ten days straight thinking about how useless I was! :D " "..." I'm so glad she became a kickass Exorcist and returned to the plot quickly.
Crowley: He's not as lame as I thought he would be, except in funny ways. I'll allow it.
Komui: Everything about him is awesome, nuff said, y'all know this, carry on.
The Millennium Earl: ...also awesome. ♥ Who doesn't love a creepy-ass villain who talks in heartmarks all the time? ♥
Rikki Tikki Tavi Tyki: Another character who I thought at first I wouldn't care less about, but who has actually turned out to be very fun and likable despite being pure evil. His interactions with Allen border on awesome.
Aaaaand pairings:
First I want to note that, generally speaking, if you say "Character X is so uke lol" I hate you. But if you say it about a character who is also the main character, I probably really hate you. Generally speaking? I think that a main character, by definition, can top. A main character is almost always the most ass-kickingest guy around, with superpowers and specialness that no one else has, and he almost always has the determination to save the world that is part of their personality. You know, personality, that thing that affects what they're like in bed?
In many cases, I dislike pairings that don't put the main character on top. For instance, Ichigo from Bleach: I will never, ever read your Grimmjow/Ichigo, Aizen/Ichigo, everyone-rapes-Ichigo crap. Ichigo is stubborn, independent, rude, and determined to be the best. He's not going to lie on his back and cry. But I also don't like, say, Renji/Ichigo. This is more than just because I don't see them in a slashy way. It's also because I think Ichigo tops Renji. (Renji has a crush on Rukia; he canonically wants to be topped by a tiny girl.) And the fandom doesn't agree with me, for the most part.
Or take Sora in Kingdom Hearts. He gets so much snickering about ukelol that I want to strangle people. I think Sora tops, you guys. He's sweet, friendly, and dumb, but he also has strong beliefs and convictions and will never, ever give up. I will never like your Leon/Sora. I like Riku and Sora, but I like it when Sora is on top. I don't like Riku the suave and sexy molesting blushing virgin Sora. GTFO.
This all may sound shallow, but I'm speaking in very broad terms -- a good writer can easily sell me on Riku/Sora. You just have to make it plausible and not out of character and I'll give it a thumbs up. I only mean to imply that: these first impressions are part of the reason why I like some pairings and dislike others.
Now, there are main characters that this rule doesn't apply to. Luke from Tales of the Abyss, for instance: he can top. He can totally top. But his canon character evolution actively made him more vulnerable than when he started out, and his canon crushes are with people who take control from him. So I don't have this problem with Luke.
And I don't have it with DGM's Allen. Allen is not your ukelol, don't get me wrong, and he could absolutely with no question top from the bottom (the aforementioned evil). But Allen's personality is one that gives, constantly. He doesn't want anything for himself. Nothing. He has sacrificed all his personal desires in the name of saving people -- making up for the sin he committed out of selfishness. His right hand is for saving humans, his left hand for saving akuma. He doesn't have any hands left to take the things he wants.
And Allen is made of compassion. He loves all humans. And all akuma. Allen loves the akuma. This was really the thing that tipped over the mental scales for me. The kind of person who loves his enemy, who kills monsters not because they're in his way or because he has to protect people or because he hates them, but who kills them because he can see that they're suffering and he wants to free them... Yeah.
So it's not as iron-clad as "MAIN CHARACTER = TOP, ALWAYS" but in a lot of circumstances, this is why I don't enjoy any "Ichigo slash".
Pairings for real this time! Through chapter 96 ONLY.
Allen/Lavi: Yes. When Lavi recognized Tyki as the man who had killed Allen, his agitation -- his very still, profound agitation ("I understand, boy." "Shut up." "If one of my friends died..." "Shut up." "I'd be sad, too." "SHUT UP!") -- touched me. I'm not psychic, but I imagine that in the future Lavi will have difficulty reconciling being the passive observer Bookman as Allen's struggles, Allen's beliefs, and Allen himself creep more into his heart; and this will only increase my approval of this pairing.
Allen/Kanda: No. I don't hate-ship -- I disagree that when two people snarl curses at one another, it equals sexual tension. :\ We'll see if this opinion changes later. I know that the fandom disagrees, but. Oh well. I often have unpopular opinions!
Allen/Lou Fa and Allen/Fou: These are kind of confused in my head. Okay, he was totally going to kiss Fou-disguised-as-Lou-Fa, and I was totally rooting for her/them?/everyone. I think these pairings are adorable. (Those of you insisting Allen is practically canonically gay, shut up.)
It is actively difficult not to type Fou Lu here. Damn you, Breath of Fire IV!
Allen/Lenalee: I'm not seeing this right now, and I'm not interested in it. Sob. They're very same -- by which I mean, Allen will try to sacrifice himself, and then Lenalee will cry about it, and then Allen will apologize... but Lenalee will do the same thing, just for different reasons. They're both compassionate, selfless people, and they seem to have a good friendship, and she may help him be somewhat less suicidal, but... They don't complement each other as much as they simply match -- if shipping is finding a shade of yellow and a shade of blue that creates a beautiful green when you put them together, then Allen and Lenalee are both wearing blue.
Kanda/Lenalee: I don't know? They had one interaction right before his fight where I thought, "She has backbone when it comes to him, and he actually listens to her when she has backbone," and it seemed like it could be interesting. Drace told me this looks more siblingy later on after their relationship is explored, so I'll hold off judgment on this one. Speaking of siblingy...
Komui/Lenalee: This is, um, kind of OTP. I know, I know, incest, cry, bricks, but their co-dependence is truly impressive -- more than just a sibling bond, but actively needing each other. I'm going to hell but it's kind of one of my favorite pairings.
Miranda/???: I'm looking, Miranda!
Tyki/???: Nah. Not seeing anything yet. He can be awesome without other people.
My pairing thoughts are so short compared to my rant, sob.
In the meantime, I have thoughts.
Allen: He's awesome. He's tiny, he's cute, he's sweet, and he's evil. Just kind of evil! The life he's led would turn anyone's hair white, but he came out of it with only a marked, harmless sort of sadism. XD (Okay, and white hair.) He looooves his cheating, and he doesn't turn a hair at hookers, drugs, gambling, etc. I want to ruffle his hair and cuddle him all the time. He can stay.
Also, P.S. to the fandom -- not a blushing virgin. Probably not a virgin. (He lived with Cross.) Definitely not blushing. (He lived with Cross.)
Lenalee: I liked her at the beginning, and I like her for bits and pieces during the actual course of the manga -- say, when she's fighting Esti, or when she's being stubborn at Kanda, or anything involving Komui. But, Lenalee, honey, stop crying. Please. She spent a giant chunk of manga crying about everything. I am forced to separate out "the Lenalee who does these other things" and "the Lenalee who cries all the time" because that last part would lessen the rest of her totally valid cool.
Also, please don't be the Heart, that would be so boring.
Lavi: He can definitely stay. Upbeat, easy-going, friendly, and a
Kanda: Ugh, so far I really don't care about him. I know the fandom would probably lynch me, but he's pretty boring -- also pretty but boring. He's just the stoic I-hate-everyone independent type who is awesome because his type always are. He's not actively unlikable, but he doesn't interest me at all.
Miranda: I... I love you! Stay forever. "But Miranda won't be able to sleep while she's--" "Oh, don't worry, I don't need that much sleep. Why, once when I was fired from a job, I stayed up for ten days straight thinking about how useless I was! :D " "..." I'm so glad she became a kickass Exorcist and returned to the plot quickly.
Crowley: He's not as lame as I thought he would be, except in funny ways. I'll allow it.
Komui: Everything about him is awesome, nuff said, y'all know this, carry on.
The Millennium Earl: ...also awesome. ♥ Who doesn't love a creepy-ass villain who talks in heartmarks all the time? ♥
Aaaaand pairings:
First I want to note that, generally speaking, if you say "Character X is so uke lol" I hate you. But if you say it about a character who is also the main character, I probably really hate you. Generally speaking? I think that a main character, by definition, can top. A main character is almost always the most ass-kickingest guy around, with superpowers and specialness that no one else has, and he almost always has the determination to save the world that is part of their personality. You know, personality, that thing that affects what they're like in bed?
In many cases, I dislike pairings that don't put the main character on top. For instance, Ichigo from Bleach: I will never, ever read your Grimmjow/Ichigo, Aizen/Ichigo, everyone-rapes-Ichigo crap. Ichigo is stubborn, independent, rude, and determined to be the best. He's not going to lie on his back and cry. But I also don't like, say, Renji/Ichigo. This is more than just because I don't see them in a slashy way. It's also because I think Ichigo tops Renji. (Renji has a crush on Rukia; he canonically wants to be topped by a tiny girl.) And the fandom doesn't agree with me, for the most part.
Or take Sora in Kingdom Hearts. He gets so much snickering about ukelol that I want to strangle people. I think Sora tops, you guys. He's sweet, friendly, and dumb, but he also has strong beliefs and convictions and will never, ever give up. I will never like your Leon/Sora. I like Riku and Sora, but I like it when Sora is on top. I don't like Riku the suave and sexy molesting blushing virgin Sora. GTFO.
This all may sound shallow, but I'm speaking in very broad terms -- a good writer can easily sell me on Riku/Sora. You just have to make it plausible and not out of character and I'll give it a thumbs up. I only mean to imply that: these first impressions are part of the reason why I like some pairings and dislike others.
Now, there are main characters that this rule doesn't apply to. Luke from Tales of the Abyss, for instance: he can top. He can totally top. But his canon character evolution actively made him more vulnerable than when he started out, and his canon crushes are with people who take control from him. So I don't have this problem with Luke.
And I don't have it with DGM's Allen. Allen is not your ukelol, don't get me wrong, and he could absolutely with no question top from the bottom (the aforementioned evil). But Allen's personality is one that gives, constantly. He doesn't want anything for himself. Nothing. He has sacrificed all his personal desires in the name of saving people -- making up for the sin he committed out of selfishness. His right hand is for saving humans, his left hand for saving akuma. He doesn't have any hands left to take the things he wants.
And Allen is made of compassion. He loves all humans. And all akuma. Allen loves the akuma. This was really the thing that tipped over the mental scales for me. The kind of person who loves his enemy, who kills monsters not because they're in his way or because he has to protect people or because he hates them, but who kills them because he can see that they're suffering and he wants to free them... Yeah.
So it's not as iron-clad as "MAIN CHARACTER = TOP, ALWAYS" but in a lot of circumstances, this is why I don't enjoy any "Ichigo slash".
Pairings for real this time! Through chapter 96 ONLY.
Allen/Lavi: Yes. When Lavi recognized Tyki as the man who had killed Allen, his agitation -- his very still, profound agitation ("I understand, boy." "Shut up." "If one of my friends died..." "Shut up." "I'd be sad, too." "SHUT UP!") -- touched me. I'm not psychic, but I imagine that in the future Lavi will have difficulty reconciling being the passive observer Bookman as Allen's struggles, Allen's beliefs, and Allen himself creep more into his heart; and this will only increase my approval of this pairing.
Allen/Kanda: No. I don't hate-ship -- I disagree that when two people snarl curses at one another, it equals sexual tension. :\ We'll see if this opinion changes later. I know that the fandom disagrees, but. Oh well. I often have unpopular opinions!
Allen/Lou Fa and Allen/Fou: These are kind of confused in my head. Okay, he was totally going to kiss Fou-disguised-as-Lou-Fa, and I was totally rooting for her/them?/everyone. I think these pairings are adorable. (Those of you insisting Allen is practically canonically gay, shut up.)
Allen/Lenalee: I'm not seeing this right now, and I'm not interested in it. Sob. They're very same -- by which I mean, Allen will try to sacrifice himself, and then Lenalee will cry about it, and then Allen will apologize... but Lenalee will do the same thing, just for different reasons. They're both compassionate, selfless people, and they seem to have a good friendship, and she may help him be somewhat less suicidal, but... They don't complement each other as much as they simply match -- if shipping is finding a shade of yellow and a shade of blue that creates a beautiful green when you put them together, then Allen and Lenalee are both wearing blue.
Kanda/Lenalee: I don't know? They had one interaction right before his fight where I thought, "She has backbone when it comes to him, and he actually listens to her when she has backbone," and it seemed like it could be interesting. Drace told me this looks more siblingy later on after their relationship is explored, so I'll hold off judgment on this one. Speaking of siblingy...
Komui/Lenalee: This is, um, kind of OTP. I know, I know, incest, cry, bricks, but their co-dependence is truly impressive -- more than just a sibling bond, but actively needing each other. I'm going to hell but it's kind of one of my favorite pairings.
Miranda/???: I'm looking, Miranda!
Tyki/???: Nah. Not seeing anything yet. He can be awesome without other people.
My pairing thoughts are so short compared to my rant, sob.
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... and then the Ark arc started and we had over a year of me bitching to the rest of the cast: "Man, I'd really like use of my legs back. And maybe some new icons where I'm not CRYING MY EYES OUT." I was super disappointed with where Hoshino took Rinali's character during that arc-- okay, I'll be honest, I was super disappointed with that arc in general because dear god did the fight scenes have to go on that long? She went from this strong female character who's perfectly willing to slap the hero for being a self-sacrificing moron to someone who just sits there and cries. Not that she didn't have good reason to be sad! But still.
However, I am very hopeful about where Hoshino is taking her character in this new arc, what with the evolution of her Innocence and all. I GUESS WE'LL SEE????
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I really like the potential her character has, and I like what kind of a person she is, and I've cheered for her when she has conviction. Her backstory and motivations are very characteristic and sweet. But oh man the crying and the crying... It's not that she's crying for bad reasons (well, some of the crying is a little overdramatic) but just -- you have to run out of emo at some point. D: Other characters need that emo too!
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Yeah, exactly. It's just like... I appreciate that some awful things were happening! But it just felt so overdone after a while.
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I've been kind of iffy on DGM for quite a while now, although I'm still (or was still, slightly interrupted by lack of Internet argh) following it. We've gotten to that point that, as
Komui and Tyki are possibly my two very favorite characters at the moment. XD;; Although I didn't start liking Tyki until recent chapters when he xxxxxspoilerxxxxx; you'll see what I mean. I'm not that big on the main cast, which is probably why I'm kind of drifting off of the series, but.
But I also don't like, say, Renji/Ichigo. This is more than just because I don't see them in a slashy way. It's also because I think Ichigo tops Renji. (Renji has a crush on Rukia; he canonically wants to be topped by a tiny girl.) And the fandom doesn't agree with me, for the most part.
AHAHAHAHA. LOLOL. Being a shipper of this pairing, I love the point you made about Renji wanting to be topped by Rukia... who's like, what, 1/5 his size? (WTF KUBOTITE, PROPORTIONS PLZ!) Honestly, as someone with a Renji hanging around the back of her head... he fails at just about everything. I mean, concretely speaking. :|;;; He relies on Ichigo; he relies on Ishida--Renji's not very good at solo'ing, frankly. XD;; And, yeah, Ichigo kind of tops him hard, although I do like them switchy, m'self. :DD Boys. XDD
Like I said, I'm not that interested in the main cast, so I don't really ship any of them with anybody, but... Komui/Lenalee heeeeee. I actually haven't seen that pairing around at all, but then again, I'm not involved with DGM fandom, so. :OOO Still, if you go for that... ever thought about Tyki/Rhode? XD Me neither, but when I did, I thought they were kind of fascinating. And they only get more interesting as you get farther. ;DD
Other than that, Cross/Komui and Komui/Bak for me~ *crack!pairing shipper foo! /o/*
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God *sob* why does manga do that? Like Bleach. They fought Szayel Aporro for a year. *SOB* D, D. Gray-man isn't that bad, right??
Ichigo does top Renji in pretty much all conceivable ways; I don't really ship it (I'm happy with Renji/Rukia), but I at least approve of the pairing when it acknowledges that. XD Renji is by no means dependent, and he's definitely got his own opinions and beliefs, but he's -- well, he's a puppy. He desperately wants to be petted and told he's doing a good job, that he's strong and brave and reliable and all that good stuff. XD So, yeah. It's more the dynamic than the literal sex act, so switchy is okay as long as everyone recognizes that Ichigo tops Renji personality-wise. XD
I'm grooving on both Komui and Tyki, so A+. I was told that shortly after where I am in the manga, Komui becomes extra-strength awesome. I'm very curious! And I'm excited that you say Tyki gets a concrete awesome-boost as well, I'll look forward to that. XD
I think Allen and Lavi are awesomesocks, so I suspect my interest will hold me through it. (ALSO, MIRANDA.) But Komui/Lenalee is like, my favorite. *bricked* As for Tyki/Rhode-- I just reached the point where Rhode looks over at Tyki with this competent smirk and she's all like "You are..." and then it's like, WHOOPS WHY WERE WE SHOWING YOU THAT, NOW BACK TO KANDA VS SOME LOSER NOAH NO ONE CARES ABOUT and I was like, wait! I was interested in that! XD Which is kind of irrelevant but see, I like their interactions? Anyway, I need to see more of both of them in action (if not interacting) because I think it could have potential. :3
I still haven't actually seen any of Cross in action (except for Allen's flashback), but they both seem appropriately crazy, so your crackship amuses me. X3
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dickrival for the protagonist to measure up against. :\no subject
I've been meaning to read D. Grayman for a long time only because I like their outfits. OMG kink, top hats, dsalkdmlas.
However, I'm getting into Berserk right now. TIME & FOCUS YEAH.
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